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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Cooking with Beer - Spicy Sweet And Sour Brown Ale Pickles

My hopped up IPA pickles were a big hit (see recipe). That left me wanting experiment with a different style of pickle utilizing a different style of beer. I thought that a brown ale would go will in a sweet and sour pickle recipe because if the mild sweetness of the beer. And, of course, I had to throw hot peppers into the mix. Why not, right?These pickles are gently sweet and a little tart with just the right bite of spicy goodness.

I used Six Point Brownstone Ale, but you can use any brown ale you like. Spicy Sweet And Sour Brown Ale PicklesRefrigerator PicklesMakes 4 Quarts 20-24 Small Pickling Cucumbers1 Small Onion, Sliced Thin2 Stalks Celery, Cut In Half4 Hot Peppers, Halved4 Cups Raw Sugar1/2 Cup Pickling Salt1 Quart Vinegar1 16-ounce Can Sixpoint Brownstone AleCut off the ends of cucumbers. This is important because there are enzymes in the ends that will soften the pickles . . . i.e. less crispy. Cut the cucumbers into quarters, make sure they’re short enough to fit in quart mason jars without sticking up too high. Pack the cucumbers into the jars. (Note: I used a half gallon canning jar with swing top and gasket)Add 2-3 onion slices, half a celery stalk and one hot pepper to each jar.In a large saucepan, dissolve sugar and salt in vinegar and beer. Bring to just boiling. Be careful the syrup doesn't boil over.Using a ladle, pour the hot liquid over the cucumbers leaving about a 1/4 inch of headspace.

Screw the lid tops on and allow the jars to cool on the countertop.Put the jars in the fridge and allow the pickles to absorb all the wonderful spices.After about a week open the jar, take a bite and be completely impressed with your awesome pickling skills! The longer they sit the better they will get.